Ross MacDonald's illustrations have appeared in many publications, including Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Rolling Stone. His work was the subject of a one man retrospective at the New York Times, and has been honored in many competitions of design and illustration, including American Illustration, Print Regional Design Annual, Communication Arts, The Society of Publication Designers, the AIGA, and The Society of Illustrators, from which he received a gold medal in 2011. He has written and illustrated several children's books, and- with co author James Victore - the recent adult parody In and Out with Dick and Jane, a Loving Parody.

He has also worked on many movies as an illustrator, prop designer and consultant on period design, printing, paper and documents. He is currently working on the second season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire.

He Lives in Connecticut with his wife, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 4 cats and a large collection of 19th century type and printing equipment.